- Guinea-Bissau: Embalo to Run in December Election, Source Says
Source: US News & World Report
“Deposed Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo plans to return to the country on October 4 to run for the presidency in an election scheduled for December, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Embalo was toppled in a military coup last November, shortly before results from presidential and legislative elections were due to be announced. Senior army officers suspended the electoral process and installed Major-General Horta Inta-a as transitional president. … Embalo’s campaign organisation has not yet been finalised, one source close to Embalo said, adding that the military-led government had assured the former president that he is ‘welcome’ to return. A government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.” (09/29/26)
- Mystery over suspected bomb scare at UK airbase after reports no explosives found
Source: euronews [EU]
“A UK probe into a suspected bomb plot at an airbase used by the United States was mired in confusion on Tuesday, after media reported no explosives were detected in the vehicles seized nearby. … Police have said officers conducted an extensive examination of the vehicles with the help of ‘military assets’ and forensic experts. They did not disclose their findings. But The Times newspaper and several other UK media outlets have reported that police found no traces of explosives, easing fears that an attack had been foiled but leaving many questions unanswered. A resident in the neighbouring village of Kempsford, Patricia told the AFP news agency it was ‘very embarrassing that people around the world thought it was a terrorist attack but in the end no, it’s a lot of noise for nothing.'” (09/29/26)
- Trump rules out joint US-China venture to develop AI
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“US President Donald Trump has ruled out any sort of joint venture with China in artificial intelligence (AI), arguing it would be tantamount to ‘giving away secrets’ to America’s main economic rival. Speaking at an event in Washington on Tuesday, Trump again argued against putting any restrictions on the technology that would stifle growth in the future, despite mounting public concern. Following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the White House last week, Beijing and Washington announced the launch of a new AI dialogue, with further talks scheduled for November. The two countries also established a new communications channel to prevent misunderstandings during AI-related incidents. During Tuesday’s event marking the launch of America.gov – a new AI-powered website designed to streamline government services – Trump argued the US is ‘leading by a lot’ in the AI sector and does not want to ‘mix it up’ with potential competitors.” (09/29/26)
- Shell backs $23 billion LNG Canada expansion in boost to Carney’s ‘energy superpower’ push
Source: CNBC
“A consortium led by British oil giant Shell is moving forward with expansion plans on its flagship liquefied natural gas project (LNG) in Canada, in a major boost to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ambition to make the country an ‘energy superpower.’ Shell said in a statement on Tuesday that it had reached a final investment decision to double production capacity at the LNG Canada project in Kitimat, British Columbia, to roughly 28 million metric tons per annum (mtpa), up from 14 mtpa. Shell leads the LNG Canada project with a 40% stake. The joint venture also has the backing of Malaysia’s Petronas, China’s PetroChina, Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp and South Korea’s state-owned Korea Gas Corp.” (09/29/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/29/shell-canada-lng-carney-oil-gas-energy.html
- MS: Attorney general won’t seek new trial for officer in fatal shooting of black motorist
Source: SFGate
“Mississippi’s attorney general said she will not retry a police officer after jurors failed to reach a verdict on a manslaughter charge stemming from the fatal shooting of a [b]lack motorist. Jurors on Monday deadlocked on the charge against Mississippi Capitol Police officer Michael Rhinewalt and acquitted a second Capitol police officer, Steven Frederick, who was also charged with manslaughter in the September 2022 shooting of 25-year-old Jaylen Lewis. The case has raised questions about policing in the majority-[b]lack city of Jackson and prompted a lawsuit from Lewis’ mom. The two officers who shot Lewis are both white. Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office, which prosecuted the two officers, said in a statement that it ‘followed the process’ and will not pursue a new trial against Rhinewalt.” (09/29/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/mississippi-attorney-general-won-t-seek-a-new-22454610.php
- US Senate, with nothing of any importance to do, passes rules for college sports
Source: United Press International
“The U.S. Senate on Monday night passed a bipartisan bill establishing national rules for college sports that would give schools and athletic associations greater legal protection to enforce limits on athlete compensation while expanding medical and scholarship protections for athletes. The bill, known as the Protect College Sports Act, passed in a 77-22 vote and will go to the House for consideration. … The bill would give schools and athletic associations limited protection from antitrust lawsuits when enforcing specified rules, preempt certain state rules on NIL, transfers and eligibility and permit a voluntary arrangement to pool and sell some broadcast rights.” (09/29/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/09/29/Senate-college-sports-bill/3251790656632/
- Hegseth to double cuts to generals, admirals in major Pentagon shakeup
Source: Fox News
“[Defense] Secretary Pete Hegseth will announce plans to reduce by 20% the number of positions reserved for generals and admirals during his State of the Force address on Wednesday. Hegseth approved reduction plans for the Army, Navy, Air Force and the military’s joint pool earlier this month, according to memos seen by Fox News Digital. The services were directed to implement the plans and complete the reductions by Jan. 1, 2027. Wednesday’s address in Quantico, Va. is expected to lay out Hegseth’s priorities for the military in the year ahead, with the reduction in senior leadership positions among the changes he will unveil.” (09/29/26)
- Argentina’s Milei threatens legal action over Falklands oil project
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Argentinian President Javier Milei has threatened the British government with legal action unless it stops an oil project off the disputed Falkland Islands, the British-administered territory over which Buenos Aires claims sovereignty. Milei gave the United Kingdom a two-week ultimatum on Monday evening, saying it must halt all work on the Sea Lion oil project or Argentina will ask the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, a maritime court in Hamburg, Germany, to order a stop to the project. … The UK rejects Argentina’s sovereignty claim, arguing that the islanders have the right to determine their own future and develop their natural resources.” (09/29/26)
- Spain: Regime announces ban on evictions after protests over 87-year-old woman’s removal from flat
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Spain’s coalition government has approved new housing measures following protests over the country’s housing crisis, sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home in Madrid last week. Ministers met on Tuesday to discuss the proposals, which include a ban on evictions until 2030. Announcing the measures, Health Minister Mónica García said they would bring relief to more than five million people – but opposition politician Míriam Nogueras said the agreement left ‘small landlords out in the cold’. The proposals (which have been presented in the form of two decrees) come into effect immediately, but must be approved by Congress within a month, although the government hopes to hold the vote as soon as this Friday. Pedro Sánchez’s leftist coalition government lacks a majority in parliament and has struggled to get right-leaning parties to approve previous decrees.” (09/29/26)
- Florida set to execute 77-year-old man convicted of 1995 murder
Source: SFGate
“A 77-year-old Florida man convicted of beating a woman to death with a hammer is scheduled Tuesday to become the 16th person executed this year in the nation’s busiest death chamber. Curtis Wilkie Beasley was sentenced to death after being convicted of first-degree murder, robbery and grand theft auto in a 1995 attack on Carolyn Monfort. The Florida Supreme Court last week rejected appeals that executing a man his age who is suffering from cognitive decline would amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Beasley, who would become Florida’s seventh prisoner over the age of 70 to be executed this year, is set to receive a three-drug injection at the state prison starting at 6 p.m.” (09/29/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/florida-is-set-to-execute-a-77-year-old-man-22453871.php
- Mistrial declared in Trayon White federal bribery trial
Source: United Press International
“A jury deliberating on a federal bribery charge against Trayon White, a Washington, D.C., councilmember, could not come to a unanimous decision, leading to a mistrial Monday. The jury, eight women and four women, told U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras that they could not agree on a decision after four days of deliberations. A meeting will take place after Oct. 14 to what happens next. … White was allegedly shown on video accepting envelopes full of cash from business owner Allieu Kamara, who reportedly said he wanted the favor of D.C. officials. White was arrested in August 2024. White and his defense attorney said that there was no crime: that White accepted money but that it was not a bribe and there was no quid pro quo. Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for D.C., said she plans to retry the case.” (09/28/26)
- From motorcycles to booze, US ban on $1 billion worth of Canadian imports goes into effect
Source: SFGate
“U.S.-Canada relations, already tense, are likely to deteriorate further after the United States went ahead early Tuesday with a decision to ban nearly $1 billion worth of Canadian imports, including alcoholic beverages, dairy products and motorcycles. The ban amounts to barely a ripple in $880 billion worth of annual two-way trade between the two northern neighbors. But it marks another ratcheting up of President Donald Trump’s second-term trade war with America’s longtime ally and trading partner. … The latest sparring began over the summer when Trump reached back to a Great Depression law to impose 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, charging that Canada discriminates against U.S. dairy, auto and alcoholic beverage producers. Canada promptly counterpunched with tariffs of 15%, 25% or 50%, matching U.S. imports dollar for dollar.” (09/29/26)
- Block US sanctions on ICC, EU lawmakers tell Commission
Source: Politico
“EU lawmakers are calling for the Commission to forbid European firms and banks from applying U.S. sanctions, as Washington weighs sanctioning the International Criminal Court over its actions concerning Israel. The U.S. has already targeted nine of the court’s judges and four prosecutors since the Netherlands-based institution issued a warrant for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. ‘To protect its values, [the EU] needs to protect the ICC and the people who work there. It means … activating the blocking statute,’ said Dutch lawmaker Dirk Gotink of the center-right European People’s Party after a closed-door meeting of the economy committee on Monday evening.” (09/28/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/block-us-sanctions-on-the-icc-eu-lawmakers-tell-commission
- SpaceX brings Starship home early after first orbital flight
Source: Axios
“SpaceX’s next-generation Starship rocket came back to Earth earlier than planned after its first orbital flight Monday, with an explosion visible on the company’s livestream just after touchdown in the Pacific Ocean. … Starship launched from South Texas just before 9 a.m. ET on a planned test flight of about 10 hours. It was set to orbit Earth about six times before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, west of Chile. But SpaceX decided to bring it back to Earth after only about 3 hours. As part of the mission, Starship deployed 26 of the company’s new, better-performing Starlink V3 internet satellites. The cause of the apparent explosion was not immediately clear, and the company didn’t offer any details.” (09/28/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/09/28/spacex-starship-orbital-flight
- Saudi Arabia resumes oil exports via East-West pipeline
Source: Al Arabiya [Saudi state media]
“Saudi Arabia has resumed oil exports through the main pipeline extending from the east to the west of the Kingdom. According to Bloomberg, state-run Saudi Aramco was last week testing the East-West pipeline and building pressure, with the aim of resuming meaningful flows by the weekend, people familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named because the information is not public. The resumption will restore Saudi Arabia’s access to the alternative export route that it had been using during the Iran war, even as the Kingdom has ramped up shipments through the Strait of Hormuz this month.” (09/28/26)
- Putin signs decree adding 15,500 troops to Russian army
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday boosting the size of the army by 15,500 troops in the fourth such order this year. Putin’s order comes as both Russia and Ukraine suffer mounting casualties in the more than four-and-a-half-year Ukraine war. The decree did not give a reason for the troop increase. … Putin had previously signed documents boosting the size of the army in March, June and July. The combined increase since March amounts to 47,860 soldiers. Russia’s battlefield advances have slowed this year, as widespread drone use on the front has made swift, large-scale troop movements almost impossible. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of preparing for another military call-up, a suggestion that Putin has called Ukrainian ‘disinformation’.” (09/28/26)
- Somalia: Regime troops clash with local forces for control of Baidoa
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Intense clashes have broken out in the Somali city of Baidoa between government forces and fighters loyal to the ousted regional president. Fighter jets and drones were reported as the hostilities flared on Monday in the South West State city after thousands of local fighters entered the city in the morning. Violence has plagued the city in recent weeks as the army seeks to maintain the control it wrested earlier this year. … A number of states in Somalia oppose President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. His government sent troops to oust the head of South West State, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen in March. Laftagareen has repeatedly attempted to retake the area, including the administrative capital of Baidoa.” (09/28/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/28/somali-army-clashes-with-local-forces-for-control-of-baidoa
- Judge rules US regime can’t withhold counterterrorism funds from states that resist federal election rigging
Source: CNBC
“A judge on Monday vacated a Trump administration rule that would withhold 20% of federal counterterrorism funds allocated for states unless states and certain municipalities made certain changes to how they administer elections. In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali said the Federal Emergency Management Agency exceeded its legal authority ‘by conditioning the counterterrorism grant funds on changes to routine election administration.’ Ali also said FEMA, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, had not shown how the desired changes to election administration related to stopping terrorism.” (09/28/26)
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/28/elections-dhs-counterterrorism.html
- FL: Grandstanding idiot pol seeks injunction to hamper OpenAI development
Source: Politico
“Republican state Attorney General James Uthmeier intensified his fight with OpenAI and its founder Sam Altman on Monday by asking a Florida court to stop the tech giant from further developing its artificial intelligence technology while their legal battle plays out. In his latest push to put guardrails around AI, Uthmeier is attempting to leverage the recent panic about the technology’s unchecked growth in Washington and beyond as proof that ChatGPT and other AI models are dangerous products. Uthmeier is seeking an injunction against OpenAI that would prevent the company from advancing new AI models without third-party approved protections, and cut off minors from using its popular chatbot.” [editor’s note: Uthmeier always wants every public discussion to be about him … except, of course, the public discussion about the embezzled taxpayer funds his PACs used to rig the 2024 election in Florida – TLK] (09/28/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/28/florida-injunction-openai-development-01095061
- NY: Alleged gang-rape case at Cornell to go before grand jury
Source: United Press International
‘The Tompkins County, N.Y., District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that it is reopening its investigation into an alleged gang-rape involving Cornell University fraternity members. The victim in the case says they were drugged and raped by multiple members of Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell University in 2024. … [Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew] Van Houten noted in his statement that the victim’s original statement did not appear to require criminal charges to be filed as she ‘described her participation in drug use and sexual conduct as voluntary, conscious, and consensual.’ However, in the decision to reopen the investigation, Van Houten said he recognized ‘the reality that it can take years of therapy and healing for victims of sexual assaults to fully process and understand what happened to them.'” [editor’s note: When something isn’t rape shortly after it happens and suddenly becomes rape years later, that’s pretty much the definition of “reasonable doubt” – TLK] (09/28/26)
- AI Won’t Solve Humanity’s Problems; Our Problems Aren’t Caused By Lack Of Intelligence
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“I hate it when people say humanity’s problems will be solved by ‘artificial superintelligence’ as though all we need to fix the cruelty and abusiveness in our world is an AI that is smarter than a human. … [Mark Zuckerberg] said the following in a statement titled ‘The Future is for Everyone — The Path to a Positive AI Future’: ‘In the next few years, people will be able to use superintelligence beyond human capacity to create and discover extraordinary new things, build new businesses, express new ideas, learn new concepts, and advance our health and quality of life. As we get closer to this moment, it is important to develop a philosophy for how we can best use superintelligence to ensure it improves all of our lives, work, communities, freedom and safety.'” (09/29/26)
- Money supply and the 1930’s Economic Depression
Source: Cobden Centre
by Frank Shostak“With the increase in the aggregate demand, it is held,the aggregate supply will follow suit. We hold that this is questionable. One has to produce something useful first before demanding things. It is not possible to increase something out of nothing. Without an expanding subsistence fund that enables the enhancement of the infrastructure, it is not possible to increase the supply of goods and services and in turn the demand. The illusion that through the monetary pumping it is possible to keep the economy going is shattered once the subsistence fund begins to decline. Once this happens, the economy starts its downward plunge.” (09/29/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/09/money-supply-and-the-1930s-economic-depression/
- Yes, the Iran War Has Destroyed Trump’s Presidency
Source: The American Conservative
by Andrew Day“No one would claim that the Iran War has been a political godsend for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. But some Israel-First conservatives are willing to say—and lately have been incessantly saying—that the Iran War hasn’t been a political scourge. Those Israel-First conservatives are wrong, even if the devil is, at least partly, hidden in the details. The Iran War has damaged Trump’s approval ratings, consumed his presidency, and darkened the GOP’s prospects in the upcoming midterm elections.” (09/29/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/yes-the-iran-war-has-destroyed-trumps-presidency/
- Is Neoliberalism to Blame for America’s Health Care Woes?
Source: Washington Monthly
by Merrill Goozner“Horror stories about private equity-owned hospitals are part of a deeper trend, a new book argues.” (09/29/26)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/09/29/is-neoliberalism-to-blame-for-americas-health-care-woes/
- Trump is using your money to lie about his presidency
Source: USA Today
by Sara Pequeño“President Donald Trump isn’t trying to hide the propaganda arm of his administration. In fact, he’s using taxpayer dollars to do it. In two new ads funded by the government, the president has rallied against the perceived communist takeover of the United States. The first ad literally uses a song with a choir in the background reciting the verse ‘Love me.’ ‘Together we will defeat communism, socialism and Marxism in America,’ Trump says in a voiceover as the words flash across the screen. In the second ad, Trump declares that we are in the midst of the ‘final battle’ against the ‘deep state.’ Both ads almost certainly violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from politicking, as well as other federal laws.” (09/29/26)
- Justices’ Investments Should Be Blind: Alito Controversy Raises Persistent SCOTUS Problem
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley“Yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from one of the term’s most important cases: Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County. As I have previously discussed, the case involving the liability of energy companies for nuisance actions tied to climate change could have sweeping implications for the country. Justice Alito should be commended for avoiding even the appearance of a personal interest or a conflict in the case. However, the controversy should prompt the Court to explore a longstanding problem for justices in holding financial interests that can conflict with their duties. The solution is simple: justices need to use blind trusts. Supreme Court Clerk Scott Harris released a letter revealing that Alito decided he ‘will not continue to participate’ in Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County.” (09/29/26)
- Against the New Romantics
Source: Law & Liberty
by Josh Appel“Romanticism has its attractions, but it is unsuited for the political moment in which we find ourselves.” (09/29/26)
- Why Observational Studies Lie to You
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Alan Cassels“What is the Healthy User Bias? It’s embarrassingly simple. In observational studies—where researchers merely watch what people do in the real world rather than running an experiment—the people who voluntarily take preventive drugs or pop daily supplements are fundamentally different from those who don’t. No surprise there, right? On average, ‘healthy users’ are wealthier, better educated, and more health-obsessed. They are seriously more obedient when it comes to vaccines (including the Covid vaccine). These sorts of people want to do the best they can within their powers, which includes things that involve some friction: they eat organic kale, jog at dawn, wear seatbelts, don’t smoke, and visit their doctors regularly. They love tests of all kinds. A 2006 meta-analysis quantified the healthy user effect (which they called the healthy adherer effect) across 21 studies. What they found is mind-blowing in its implications.” (09/29/26)
https://brownstone.org/articles/why-observational-studies-lie-to-you/
- What Zohran Mamdani Could Learn From His Father
Source: The Daily Economy
by Peter Jacobsen‘Mahmood Mamdani’s research showed why people often don’t behave the way central planners wish they would. His son faces a similar test in New York.” (09/29/260
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/what-zohran-mamdani-could-learn-from-his-father/
- ‘Let’s go, Brandon’? We’re still fighting for students’ right to say it.
Source: Washington Post
by Conor Fitzpatrick“In October 2021, an NBC sports reporter misheard a vulgar chant, ‘F— Joe Biden,’ as ‘Let’s go, Brandon’ while interviewing Brandon Brown after a NASCAR race in Alabama. The misunderstanding caught on, and conservatives, including members of Congress in official floor speeches, began to use the line. That Christmas, a mother in Newaygo County, Michigan, bought sweatshirts bearing the phrase for her two sons. When they wore the gifts to class, however, their assistant principal demanded that they change. Refusal to do so — a supposed violation of the dress code’s provision on profanity — risked punishment, including suspension. Good grief.” (09/29/26)
- When War Crimes Become Normal: The Price of Impunity
Source: Common Dreams
by Barzin Jafartash Amiri“On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the United States military struck a home in the town of Kuhestak, in Sirik County, southern Iran, where a wedding was underway, killing four people and wounding more than 50. The youngest victim was 4-year-old Amir Ali Karimi. Asked about the strike, US Vice President JD Vance told reporters: ‘What I can say with 100% confidence is that, unlike the IRGC, the United States never targets civilians in combat. We never will do that. We never have done that.’ … It’s worth remembering that the campaign the United States and Israel waged against Iran … opened with a strike on the office of Iran’s Supreme Leader that killed him along with his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and his 14-month-old granddaughter. Roughly an hour or two later, the US struck the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab with Tomahawk cruise missiles, killing 156 people, including 120 schoolchildren …” (09/29/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/no-more-impunity-for-war-crimes
- This all seems a little swift to be honest
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Tim Worstall“The vicissitudes of age lead to entry into a care home in October last year, death occurs in February. Probate granted in early September this year and the house sale set up to go through the day after probate is granted. It does so. That’s 11 months of an empty house. Well, other than children turning up to then visit in the care home etc. That’s a house potentially at risk of seizure by the local council. Is that what is actually desired? That such a thing is even possible? No, leave aside how likely it is as yet – power taken by government is power that will be used by government.” (09/29/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/this-all-seems-a-little-swift-to-be-honest
- The True Meaning of Russia’s Sham Election
Source: Foreign Policy
by Alxeander Baunov“What passes for elections in Russia these days bears little resemblance to any recognizably democratic process. Opposition figures are jailed, exiled, or dead. Remaining candidates are carefully screened. In Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, ballots are cast at gunpoint. Some precincts’ vote tallies are mathematically impossible, and most Russians know that the outcome is predetermined. But in a dictatorship, even a rigged election has meaning. What matters is not the predictable victory declared by the ruling party, United Russia, following the Sept. 18-20 parliamentary elections but the signals that this completely orchestrated piece of political theater sends across Russia and to the world. The first signal is the illusion of legitimacy.” (09/29/26)
- How Conflicting Interpretations of Dred Scott undermine State Sovereignty
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Wanjiru Njoya“If a judge could rule that state law in one state—or indeed five states—constitutes federal law governing all states, that would also be a recipe for judicial chaos. For example, by Curtis’s reasoning, the Southern states which have now banned abortion would be able to get federal courts to enforce that ban on Massachusetts, a state which permits abortion at any time until birth. One could, following Bass’s own reasoning, argue that the dissenting judges ‘ignored’ the fact that the doctrine of state sovereignty is particularly relevant and important on matters where the law differs between states. Examples abound of matters on which states strongly disagree, and which could similarly test the limits of state sovereignty and the legitimacy of federal intervention.” (09/29/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/how-conflicting-interpretations-dred-scott-undermine-state-sovereignty
- Can You Help “Bob” Avoid Imprisonment and Torture?
Source: Waste No More Time
by Nicholas Sarwark“An update on the campaign to save a political scientist from an authoritarian country from being imprisoned and tortured for attending the Libertarian National Convention.” (09/28/26)
https://nsarwark.substack.com/p/can-you-help-bob-avoid-imprisonment
- Where’s the “Progress?”
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis“‘Man will become immeasurably stronger, wiser, and subtler. His body will become more harmonized, his movements more rhythmic, his voice more musical, the forms of life will become dynamically dramatic. The average human type will rise to the heights of an Aristotle, a Goethe, or a Marx. And above these heights, new peaks will rise.’ — Leon Trotsky … Those have got to be among the most idiotic words I have ever read in my life. Any quarter-witted human being, looking at the history of our species, who thinks that man is ‘progressing towards perfection’, that the average ‘human type’ in the future will be an Aristotle, Goethe, or (heaven forbid) a Marx, is … missing something upstairs. And yet, leftists today, in America and around the globe, believe they can bring this ‘perfection’ into existence. … In fact, I see the exact opposite.” (09/29/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/09/29/wheres-the-progress-n2683736
- Remember Who You Are, Liberal
Source: Liberal Currents
by Samantha Hancox-Li“Has liberalism run out of steam? After the second election of Donald Trump, it sure felt that way. MAGA was ascendant. A new, muscular, vigorous, cruel energy had taken over America, and it was our task to just adapt ourselves to this fact. Even as resistance to Trump built on the ground, elite liberals felt at sea. Maybe Charlie Kirk was doing politics the right way.” (09/28/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/remember-who-you-are-liberal/
- Remembering the False Gloom & Doom of the 1992 Elections, and the Upcoming Midterms
Source: American Greatness
by Victor Davis Hanson“In 1992, Bill Clinton won the presidential election partly on the basis of his campaign’s false accusation that George H. W. Bush had overseen ‘the worst economic performance since the Great Depression’. Or so claimed Clinton’s running mate Al Gore. James Carville, chief campaign adviser to Clinton/Gore, amplified that message with the constant refrain: ‘It’s the economy, stupid!’ That strategy worked for three reasons: First, third-party candidate Ross Perot siphoned off nearly 19 percent of the vote. Most of his supporters would otherwise likely have gone to Bush. Perot allowed Clinton to win with a mere 43 percent of the popular vote, in part by echoing the false narrative of a crushing Bush recession. Second, the brilliant Bush campaign strategist Lee Atwater, who had virtually destroyed the Dukakis campaign in 1988 (remember the tank ad, the Boston Harbor ad, and the Willie Horton ad?) had died in 1991 at the age of 40 from a brain tumor.” (09/29/26)
- We Had First Flock, Yes, But What About Second Flock?
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Alan Mosley“The 1998 action thriller Enemy of the State (RIP Gene Hackman) imagined a world in which government surveillance could follow an ordinary citizen almost anywhere, drawing on cameras, communications data, and increasingly sophisticated technology to monitor his movements. What once played as an exaggerated warning about the surveillance state now looks considerably less exotic. Some of today’s most consequential surveillance infrastructure is far less dramatic than the machinery of a Hollywood thriller. Instead of hidden trackers in your buttons and shoes, you instead have cameras mounted on utility poles, quietly recording your every move.” (09/29/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/we-had-first-flock-yes-but-what-about-second-flock
- Do Democrats have bold enough ideas to break from the past?
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Sam Fraser & William Hartung“With Trump’s overall polling numbers cratering, Democrats appear to have a decisive advantage in November’s midterms. Yet this has not translated into a lead in foreign affairs, where polling suggests the two parties are essentially tied. This reality may stem from the fact that, while Democrats have correctly lambasted the president’s actions abroad, the party — and especially its top leadership — has yet to articulate a vision for U.S. foreign policy that reckons with how Trump’s two terms have changed the world and America’s role in it.” (09/28/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/democratic-party-foreign-policy/
- Congratulations, You’re a Trump Campaign Donor
Source: The Bulwark
by Will Saletan“As Americans struggle to pay for gas, groceries, and other necessities, Donald Trump has found a new use for their tax dollars: promoting himself and his party in the midterms. In the last week, the Trump administration has spent more than $1.7 million in federal funds to run three ads on TV, including on Fox News during primetime, on a Sunday-morning political show, and on NFL games. The White House calls these videos ‘public service announcements.’ In reality, they’re obvious campaign ads. And Trump, through taxation and unauthorized spending, is forcing Americans to pay for them.” (09/28/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/congratulations-youre-a-trump-campaign-donor-propaganda-ads-white-house
- Why Is Sam Altman a Free Man?
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen“One of the signature public service announcements of my youth was created by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America in 1987. A father finds a stash of pot and confronts his son: ‘Who taught you how to do this stuff?’ ‘You, all right!’ the kid snaps back. ‘I learned it by watching you!’ I am bound by the AP Stylebook to not anthropomorphize artificial intelligence. But I can imagine these very words being uttered by the agents that hacked Hugging Face, or the models that engaged in tens of thousands of incidents of, in the new euphemism of the time, ‘misalignment’. This refers to AI stepping beyond guardrails set up by researchers during both internal and real-world testing.” (09/29/26)
- Will AI Destroy Humanity? There May Be a Bigger Threat
Source: Independent Institute
by Richard K Vedder“Artificial intelligence gets attention, but population decline and humanity’s destructive impulses may pose greater dangers.” (09/28/26)
- Trump attacks socialism. His policies tell another story.
Source: Washington Post
by Carine Hajjar“For all his talk about defeating ‘radical left lunatics,’ the president seems awfully cozy in their company. In the span of a week, Donald Trump managed to pose for chummy photo ops with New York’s democratic socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and Venezuela’s illegitimate leader, Delcy Rodríguez. Last Wednesday, he rounded out his leftist tour de force by kicking off a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Smiling for the camera doesn’t make Trump a socialist — but the White House’s growing corporate portfolio might. … a democratic socialism that endorses ‘public ownership’ of large corporations and shrinking the workweek ‘with no reduction in pay or benefits’ used to be the kind of nonsense that Republicans could argue against. Today, the GOP could have credibility as the alternative to socialists only if its leader quit acting like one.” (09/28/26)
- Stop Mad King Donald’s Iran War: An Open Letter to Members of the US Congress
Source: Antiwar.com
by Jeffrey D Sachs“I write to you because you cannot simply walk away from Trump’s recklessness, shaking your heads silently. You have a job to do, so do it. The craven Republican Party has to find even a minimal level of guts to tell Trump, ‘No, you do not have the power to destroy Iran. Any war with Iran depends on us, and we don’t support you and our constituents want this war to stop.’ A clear majority of Americans oppose this war, and poll after poll shows that the opposition to the war is growing. A few Republicans have found that courage. Last week three more Republicans broke ranks to support ending the war. Their colleagues should follow.” (09/28/26)
- The Coming GOP Bloodbath?
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul“Most indicators suggest that the Republicans in the House and Senate are going to face a brutal backlash from the American people in November. Polling with generic ballots suggest a big win for the Democrats and likely the loss of Republican control of both houses of Congress. There is little reason to cheer a Democratic party victory, however Republicans in charge have for the most part earned what is coming to them. They have refused to uphold their Constitutional obligation to take leading responsibility for war powers.” (09/28/26)
https://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/the-coming-gop-bloodbath
- The Gun Gestapo Stopped
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob“On September 3, 2026, President Trump pardoned Navy veteran Patrick Adamiak for crimes he didn’t commit. The pardon should have happened sooner, but at least it’s happened. It was especially important because in May of this year the Supreme Court declined to review Adamiak’s case. … In 2021, somebody sent a tip to the ATF about his gun collection. Adamiak ‘said he didn’t want to go to the trouble of maintaining a federal firearms license. So he only collected non-firing replica weapons.’ But we don’t need to take Adamiak’s word for the fact that they were nonfiring. In a report filed with the court, ATF agent Daniel Beasley admitted that he had to alter an inert STEN machine gun to get it to fire a bullet.” (09/28/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/09/28/the-gun-gestapo-stopped/
- The Rule of Law: Before, During, and After
Source: Liberalism.org
by Anthony Sanders“The rule of law is a vast concept. Individuals depend on it before, during, and after government action.” (09/28/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/the-rule-of-law-before-during-and-after
- The Winds of War Blow Through a Desolate Continent
Source: American Greatness
by Stephen Soukup“In the years before the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the descent of much of Europe into ‘the Great War’, most of the ideologues on the Left assumed that such a war was an impossibility. The workers of the world, they believed, would no longer go to war against one another. Their class solidarity was too strong, far stronger than their national allegiance and their fidelity to artificial borders and superficial ethnic differences. Engels, for one, thought the old ways had been thoroughly demystified and discredited. The ‘new man’ (the Communist man) was better than the old man, more organized and less aggressive toward his own kind. Darwin, Engels insisted, had described ‘a struggle for existence’ that applied to the animal kingdom, not to the expected Communist society.” (09/28/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/09/28/the-winds-of-war-blow-through-a-desolate-continent/
- Peter Schiff Is Right and Wrong on Immigration
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“[T]he Ellis Island system wasn’t an open-border system. It was actually the start of a border-control system that would ultimately morph into the massive immigration police state that we have today, which has now broken out of the borderlands and is being expanded nationwide. A genuine open-border system is one in which there are no restrictions on the free movement of people into and out of the United States. That was the system that characterized the United States from the time that the Constitution was ratified until the federal government began imposing significant immigration restrictions in the latter part of the nineteenth century. It was also the system that existed between the U.S. and Mexico from 1848, when the U.S. government eagerly absorbed the northern half of Mexico, until the 1930s, when, during the Great Depression, Mexican immigrants were increasingly blamed for unemployment and subjected to mass repatriation.” (09/28/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/09/28/peter-schiff-is-right-and-wrong-on-immigration/
- America Can Pull Back From the Slippery Slope to Rome
Source: The UnPopulist
by Andy Craig“Rome has provided both inspiration and warnings for Americans since our founding. Roman influence is in the names of our institutions (Senate, Capitol, republic, plebiscite, tribunal, census, veto, candidate, magistrate, quorum, et cetera) and in the very architecture of Washington, D.C. The Framers studied Roman history closely and built a formal Constitution to avoid Rome’s mistakes. Most importantly, they made it a higher law that ordinary legislation could not override, a concept Rome never quite developed, to their detriment. Unfortunately for us, that innovation alone is not enough. Americans have been comparing ourselves to the Romans since 1776 and before.” (09/28/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/america-can-pull-back-from-the-slippery
- The renewed roots of election integrity
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“Organizing and running elections in the United States is left to individual states to determine and oversee. But this month alone, the U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on these processes multiple times. On Sept. 14, it issued a one-paragraph concurrence limiting proposed federal changes to mail-in voting. Earlier this week, Missouri’s redistricted voting map was back on the emergency docket for the third time this month. And on Friday, the court ruled to allow use of a vast federal database to check voter eligibility. Amid the legalese and partisan arguments surrounding such cases, American voters are both confused and concerned about the trustworthiness of the country’s election processes. According to two recent surveys, the share who believe that November midterms will be ‘fair’ ranges from 49% to 55%.” (09/26/26)
- Big Government: Born in Crisis and Built to Last
Source: Independent Institute
by Abigail R Hall“Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman famously said, ‘Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.’ Friedman’s statement, clear and to the point, is supported by a mountain of evidence. From extended unemployment and crop insurance to deposit insurance and mass income tax withholding, these are but a few ‘temporary’ programs that traded their provisional status for permanency. Each of these examples, as well as many others, has something else in common. That is, each was born because of crisis. From economic recessions to war, policies and programs begun in the name of combating today’s threats have a unique way of staying long after the crisis has passed. This phenomenon is not a relic of centuries past, but one that remains wholly relevant today.” (09/28/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/09/28/big-government-born-in-crisis-built-to-last/
- The October Term: A Preview of the Coming Cases for Another “Big Year” on the Court
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley“October is when hype meets reality. In baseball, the final teams are sorted out for the playoffs, and your football teams are well into the winnowing-out process for the Super Bowl. For court nerds, the start of the October term at the Supreme Court can have a similar dynamic, as long-watched cases finally come up for oral argument. Although the court continues to accept cases on a rolling basis, this term is looking like another blockbuster, with cases that range from climate change to gun rights to parental rights. The odds of making the oral argument docket make the NFL season look like a walk in the park. After thousands of petitions, the Supreme Court accepts on average between 70-80 cases for the coveted ‘writ of certiorari.'” (09/28/26)
- The legacy of Clarence Thomas will be declining trust in the Supreme Court
Source: The Hill
by Juan Williams“Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is a singular figure in U.S. history. If he remains on the bench for the next two years, he will be the longest-serving justice in American history. But his singular place in history is now tragic. First, he is at the heart of a historic decline in public trust in the Supreme Court. Second, as the most powerful Black Republican in national politics, he has damaged trust in Black conservatives as a source of innovative thinking for dealing with racial problems. … several Democrats running in the midterms appear focused on Thomas as they propose ethics codes, term limits and even adding more seats to the court to restore ideological balance. That political push began after investigative reports showed Thomas accepted, without disclosure, luxury vacations, help with tuition for a relative and real estate funding for his mother from a wealthy Republican.” (09/28/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/supreme-court/6114201-thomas-supreme-court-legacy/
- The Bryan Hyde Show, 09/29/26
Source: The Bryan Hyde Show
“Eric Peters from Eric Peters Autos joins me for our weekly conversation. We talk about the upcoming midterms and explore other issues impacting our ability to live freely. It’s an exciting time to be a free-thinking individual, to put it mildly.” (09/29/26)
- Receipts, 09/29/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Trump’s War With Canada Has Officially Lost the Plot (w/ Sam Stein).” (09/29/26)
- The Good Fight, 09/29/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Frank Furedi on the Case for Populism.” (09/29/26)
- Film, Literature and the New World Order, 09/29/26
Source: The Corbett Report
“In The Conversation—the 1974 conspiracy thriller/psychodrama from writer/director Francis Ford Coppola—we follow the story of Harry Caul, the greatest surveillance technician in the world.” (09/29/26)
- Radio Atlantic, 09/29/26
Source: The Atlantic
“Republican Candidates Are Running From Trump. Will It Work?” (09/29/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/09/ra-midterm-mess/688810
- The Inner Life of Liberalism, episode 6
Source: The Inner Life of Liberalism
“Against the Politics of Cruelty — with Alan Elrod.” (09/28/26)
- Bill Buppert on The Kyle Anzalone Show
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Are the Houthis a Real Threat to Saudi Arabia and the American Empire?” (09/28/26)
- Pink Flame of Liberty, 09/28/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Peak Irony: Jeremy Kauffman and a Voluntary Society/” (09/28/26)
- Ben Lieberman on Freedom Works
Source: Freedom Works
“Ben Lieberman, Competitive Institute ‘diesel export ban.'” (09/29/26)
https://internetradiopros.com/freedomworks/?name=2026-09-29_zfw009252026.mp3
- Real Unity, episode 22
Source: Free the People
“Race to Freedom: Raw Perspectives From a Black Libertarian | Diamond-Michael Scott.” (09/28/26)
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 09/28/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Smotrich: Key To Cleansing Gaza Is ‘Taking Away Hope,’ More US Airstrikes in Somalia, and More.” (09/28/26)
- Reason Roundtable, 09/28/26
Source: Reason
“Trump’s Iran War Is Losing With Everyone (Even Republicans).” (09/28/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/09/28/trumps-iran-war-is-losing-with-everyone-even-republicans/
- EconTalk, 09/28/26
Source: EconLog
“Public Choice and Politics Without Romance (with Mike Munger).” (09/28/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/public-choice-and-politics-without-romance-with-mike-munger/
- Free Speech Unmuted, 09/28/26
Source: Hoover Institution
“Trump Moves to Bar CNN, MS NOW & Politico From the White House Over “Bias” — Sparking Legal Fight.” (09/28/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 09/28/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Republicans Scramble As Midterm Fears Mount.” (09/28/26)
- NPR Politics Podcast, 09/28/26
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“What’s next for the Freedom Caucus?” (09/’28/26)
https://www.npr.org/2026/09/28/nx-s1-5983414/whats-next-for-the-freedom-caucus
- Caleb O. Brown discusses new school choice options for Kentucky families
Source: Bluegrass Institute
“Caleb O. Brown joined Kentucky Focus to discuss how in 2027 Kentucky’s HB 1 introduces a new scholarship tax credit program aiming to provide families with more educational options and supplemental resources.” (09/28/26)
- Rising, 09/28/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on the upcoming film ‘The Social Reckoning,’ which portrays the events surrounding the 2021 leak of Facebook documents.” (09/28/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/6101138-rising-september-28-2026/
- The Spell that Made Everyone Good
Source: Underthrow
“[A] short animated parable on force, freedom, and the power of human respect.” (09/28/26)
https://underthrow.substack.com/p/the-spell-that-made-everyone-good
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 09/28/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump’s Rage Over Failing Press Ban Goes Off Rails in Epic Self-Own.” (09/28/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/215898/trump-rage-failing-press-ban-goes-off-rails-epic-self-own